I’m starting to get really interested in the upcoming NBA Draft

Now, part of that is because A) my Orioles again suck B) the annual Red Sox/Yankees dual in the AL East isn’t exactly close and C) we’re just not close enough to football season for me to start ignoring everything else.

But seriously, I normally could care less about the NBA draft. Actually, let me expand that to say I usually don’t care about the NBA. Period. And outside of a passing interest in the NFL Draft, I’m not really into any drafts either.

But if you paid attention to college hoops this past season then you surely can appreciate the monster talents that will undoubtedly go #1 and #2 in the NBA Draft next week.

The Portland Trail Blazers - the team holding the number one pick - and General Manager Kevin Pritchard have a huge decision ahead of them in choosing between Greg Oden, the 7-foot freshman center from Ohio State and Kevin Durant, 6-foot-9 freshman forward from Texas.

Conventional wisdom - and most fans - say the Blazers would be crazy to pass on Oden and the chance to get a sure-fire dominant center, something very few franchises have.

But it sure doesn’t sound as if Pritchard has made up his mind, especially after Durant left him drooling while watching him workout at the Blazers facility.

Should be interesting to see the drama unfold as we approach Thursday night. At least it’s something to look forward to.

But the latest involving Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF Elijah Dukes takes its to a whole different level.

While most of the news on athletes that crosses the police blotter involves drinking and driving, drugs of some sort or fights outside of clubs, I think the average fan isn’t left feeling as if they would be scared to have these athletes in their community, even as a neighbor - embarassed maybe, but not scared. (Ok, so maybe I don’t want Bears DT Tank Johnson and his cache of semi-automatic weapons just down the block but you get the point.)

But like I said, Elijah Dukes is a different story, a different case, a different animal - so to speak. In short, I am scared of Elijah Dukes and wouldn’t want this guy within six connecting states of my family.

Dukes has a long rap sheet. So long in fact that he found a new way to get promoted to the big leagues. After spending the past two years at Triple-A Durham and Double-A Montgomery those clubs told the execs at Tampa they had seen enough…and I’m not talking just about his talent to crush a baseball.

Now with the Devil Rays and leading all AL rookies with 8 home runs, Dukes is in hot water again for allegedly threatening to kill his wife and her kids.

NiShea Gilbert - the wife of Dukes - has a voice-mail that she claims the outfielder left on her cell phone. According to St. Petersburg Times reporters, this is what the message says: “Hey, dawg. It’s on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain’t even bulls——-. Your kids too, dawg. It don’t even matter to me who is in the car with you. N—–, all I know is, n—–, when I see your m—–f—— a– riding, dawg, it’s on. As a matter of fact, I’m coming to your m—–f—— house.”

I don’t know about you, but that sends a chill down the spine. It will certainly be interesting to see how this story unfolds and how the Devil Rays handle Dukes and his enormous talent. College football can’t come soon enough.

“I felt like my mom was chasing me with a belt.”

The 7-0 foot freshman - a two-time national high school player of the year - easily could have the No. 1 player taken in the NBA Draft if the league hadn’t changed its rules to prevent high school graduates from immediately jumping to the pros.

But let’s get to the point. How in the hell is this kid, guy, man (take your pick) only 18 years old? His date of birth is listed as January 22, 1988 but c’mon, Oden looks more 28 than 18 - heck, more 38 than 28.

Remember when everyone made such a stink about Little League hero Danny Almonte being born in 1987 as opposed to his real year of birth - as it was later uncovered - 1989?

Just wait until I uncover that instead of being born in 1988 Oden was really born in 1968 and was an average center playing pro ball in Hungary until his agent decided to “re-invent” his client as high-school phenom.

Just remember, you heard it here first.

As you may recall, Snyder was canned by CBS in 1988 for spouting some rather politically incorrect views on why African Americans were naturally superior athletes. In case you missed them:

“During the slave period, the slave owner would breed his big black with his big woman so that he would have a big black kid—that’s where it all started.”

Yeah, that will get you in same rather hot water - but I guess the “Playmaker” Michael Irvin forget to brush up on his PC 101.

Just last week Irvin appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio and the conversation turned to the new QB for the Cowboys, the athletically gifted Tony Romo. Irvin gave some very Greek-esque views on how it is possible that the apparently very white QB could have such talent.

“Somewhere there are some brothers. . . . [Maybe] his great, great, great, great Grandma ran over in the hood or something went down.”

Of course at that point Patrick had to ask if Irvin was implying that having an African-American ancestry was the only way to be a great athlete. More classic Irvin:

“No, that’s not the only way, but it’s certainly one way. Great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn.”

“Up outta the barn”. Damn, that might have even made the Greek blush.

Of course, after some negative press the Playmaker apologized with words someone clearly had to stuff in his mouth.

Irvin said his comments were “inappropriate and insensitive” and gave some classic Playmaker-spin by saying “this is how I joke around with Romo when we’re playing basketball”.

As has become habit for the ESPN Communications staff, they were left to clean up Playmakers mess, reminding all of us that “generalizations about heritage are inappropriate even in jest”.

Save it.

The only people that thought Irvin was 100% joking are the same ones that thought that bong the cops found in his car really belonged to a friend fresh out of rehab.

Maybe it’s time to really answer the question that fellow ESPN NFL analyst Tom Jackson put to Playmaker so eloquently:

“Are you retarded?”

 Of course, after the Falcons PR staff got ahold of him, Vick, aka Ron Mexico, quickly issued an apology:

“It was just part of a situation where my emotions got the best of me,” Vick said. “I apologize sincerely to all my fans and to everybody who saw me make that gesture. People who know me know that’s not what I’m about. I just got caught up in the moment. I care a lot bout this team and this organization and my teammates and I care about winning and that was a part of it.”

The best part is the look on that security guards face. If a picture is worth 22 words then that expression is clearly saying “Bro, I’m no sports marketing expert but I don’t think you should be using that sign language to talk to your peeps.”

As if beating the Irish by 20 points was impressive.

Has everyone forgotten what happened on September 16 when Michigan bombed Charlie Weis’ crew by 26?

To me it’s pretty clear: Since a one-loss team has to face the undefeated Buckeyes, it comes down to the circumstances surrounding that one loss.

Southern Cal slipped up and lost to a very average Oregon State team. How average? Well, the Beavers lost to undefeated Boise State by a count of 42-14.

Maybe the Broncos should be playing Ohio State?
 
As everyone knows, the lone Michigan loss was the 42-39 thriller at Ohio State. It just seems to me as if the Wolverines are getting penalized for being in the Big Ten and having already played the Buckeyes.

When comparing Michigan to USC you have to agree that the Wolverines have played a schedule every bit as tough as the Trojans, have won their games just as convincingly as Southern Cal and, as mentioned, have a much more attractive one loss than Pete Carroll’s team.

I’m sure the Trojans will get past UCLA next week and then the stage will be all set. Don’t think FOX isn’t breathing a sigh of relief. Having the Trojans - and the Los Angeles/California media market involved in the big game will be much better for ratings than a simple rematch of the Big 10 powers.

It should come as no surprise how things usually work out for the networks - which are paying millions to televise these games.

Not that it really matters in the end. After all, can anyone beat Troy Smith and the Buckeyes? I doubt it.

Week 13 thoughts…

I was shocked that Boston College went down to South Florida and lost to Miami. Not only did I think that the Hurricanes had completely quit but I thought the Eagles would really seize the opportunity to face Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship. Wrong on both counts.

Speaking of the ACC Championship, hats off to Coach Jim Grobe and Wake Forest on making the big game. I’m not sure if future bets were sold in Vegas on which teams would make it to the ACC Championship but you can be sure the Demon Deacons were pretty long odds to make it to Jacksonville.

You can be sure that Rutgers had one eye on the action from Morgantown, WVa this weekend and were thrilled to see the Mountaineers lose a shocker to South Florida. The door is now wide open for the Scarlet Knights to land the Big East BCS ticket. Only one problem. They have to travel to West Virginia this weekend and win. I don’t see it happening.

I had a number of frustrating games go against me late this weekend. The first one was on Friday afternoon when I backed Oregon State (-3) against Oregon.

The Beavers took the lead early and were up 20-7 at the half and 27-14 to start the 4th quarter. But the Ducks wouldn’t go away and rallied to actually take the lead 28-27 before Alexis Serna kicked the game winner to win the Civil War for the Beavers, 30-28. Unfortunately, that late defensive collapse by Oregon State was just a sign of things to come.

Saturday got off to a good start with South Carolina (+5.5) finally getting a win in a close game as they took down Clemson 31-28 in Death Valley. That win had my hopes up for a big day but that vibe didn’t last long.

Ole Miss (-3) was up by 10 on Mississippi State with under five minutes to go but allowed the Bulldogs to march down the field and score with just 2:20 on the clock. The Rebels ended up hanging on for the victory (20-17) but that coulda/shoulda/woulda win ended up being push #1.

I quickly followed that up with push #2 as Georgia Tech (+3) couldn’t make a stand in the 4th against Georgia.

The Yellow Jackets had completely blanked the Bulldogs all day long but inexplicably folded in the end and allowed freshman QB Matthew Stafford to lead Georgia to the winning score with just 1:45 on the clock. I was actually fine with the touchdown - but the two-point conversion is what killed me as the Bulldogs won 15-12.

All I can say about that game is that for all the talent he has, Tech QB Reggie Ball really makes some horrible decisions for his team. The Yellow Jackets honestly had no business losing that game.

So three potential wins had only netted me one ticket I could cash and when you’re in the middle of one of those days you just know how it’s going to end.

Sure enough, Arizona (-3) was my final play of the day and when I saw the Wildcats were down 21-0 after one quarter to Arizona State I knew I was sunk. Arizona actually twisted the knife a little deeper by rallying for just a 21-14 deficit at the half but when I heard that Zona QB Willie Tuitama had been knocked out of the game I knew it wasn’t going to be a happy ending. Predictably, the Sun Devils cruised to a 28-14 win.

The disappointing weekend leaves me at 46-32-6 (59%) for the year.

Games I am kicking myself for not playing: LSU (-2) and New Mexico State (-6.5)

Games I am thankful I avoided: Florida (-9) and North Carolina (-7)

Of course, in this age of me-first sports what is the fashionable thing to do if you don’t think your stats are as good as they can be? You got it. Complain bitterly to the press.

And thats just what Chad did in an expletive filled rant that might have even made T.O. blush.

However, I’m pleased to report that this story has a happy ending because in the two weeks since Ocho Cinco went public with his anger he has had a couple of pretty decent games.

Actually, two un-freakin-believable games would be a better description as Chad has hauled in 17 balls for 450 yards and five touchdowns in just two games against the Chargers and the Saints.

Great, more validation for the me-first attitude that is killing team sports. On the bright side, my fantasy team is making a nice run at the playoffs.

Just a few years ago, Randy Moss was considered the best wide receiver in the NFL. Better than T.O. Better than Marvin Harrison. Better than Steve Smith. Sure, he was a thorn in the side of teammates and management while in Minnesota, what with walking off the field before a game was over, nudging a police car with his SUV, mooning the fans in Green Bay, or proclaiming that he “played when he wanted to play.”

Apparently, he produced because he was happy then. Unlike now.

Now he’s sad. And when he’s sad, he can’t catch passes.

Says Wandy: “So all I can say is if you put me in a good situation and make me happy, man, you get good results.”

I guess it’s not enough that the Raiders are paying Wandy more than $7 million a year. They have to make him happy, too.

Now that is, well, sad.

I figured with the Buckeyes and Wolverines sloppy performances a week ago against weak teams (Ball State and Illinois) they would probably continue to sleep walk through a low scoring victory this weekend.

Obviously that wasn’t in the plans as both Ohio State and Michigan jumped all over their opponents early and often and never let them up for air. (Ohio State won 54-10 and Michigan prevailed 34-3)

I’ll say this, with all the losses this weekend to highly ranked teams (Louisville, Texas, Cal and Auburn) and the near escape by Florida against South Carolina, I’m beginning to think that unless we see a blowout next weekend in Columbus - which is highly unlikely - then the Wolverines and Buckeyes deserve to play again for the National Championship.

I know that TV execs, among others, will hate that matchup but if the ultimate goal of the BCS is to pit the best two teams against one another then I really feel that is what should happen.

Unfortunately, as it stands right now the winner of the USC/Notre Dame game or possibly Arkansas or Florida is right in the hunt. Of course, there is always those gritty gutty Scarlet Knights from Rutgers…

Fortunately I was able to counter those three losses with four winners, which brings me to my IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK.

I waited until right before kickoff to make my play on Wake Forest as they visited Florida State on a rainy night in Tallahassee. I had submitted the Demon Deacons (+8.5) earlier on VegasInsider but had a feeling the public was all over the Seminoles and so I waited and then waited some more.

I ended up getting Wake (+10) so the wait was well worth it but in the end I certainly didn’t need those points. I don’t think I can recall a team so thoroughly taking it to the Seminoles in Doak Campbell Stadium like Wake Forest did Saturday night. And think about that for a second - WAKE FOREST HAMMERED FLORDIA STATE.

Amazing.

The finally damage was 30-0. So much for QB Xaiver Lee salvaging the season for FSU. If Coach Bobby Bowden thought the calls for son Jeff to be removed for his role as Offensive Coordinator were loud before, well he might need earplugs and blinders now.

Here is an amazing stat to consider: How far back do you have to go to find a season where Florida State and Miami combined for at least 10 losses? When is the last time that neither of those teams had a winning record in at any time in November? (they both currently stand at 5-5) I don’t have the answers but it sure has to be a long time ago. If you do dig up those facts please drop me an e-mail! ( punter@capicks.com )

I remember thinking after watching Florida State pull out a very close game at Miami to start the year that these two teams had incredible defenses. Wrong. Turns out that just had very mediocre offenses that made their defenses look good.

This much we know: Coker is out at Miami as soon as the season is over and Bowden will be forced to shuffle his coaching roster - likely meaning his son is out.

FRAUD OF THE WEEK: Doesn’t seem too long ago - October 28 in fact - that the Cowboys of Wyoming had the 3rd ranked defense in the nation. Granted, playing in the Mountain West they hadn’t faced a lot of powerful offenses but they had more than held their own in limiting Boise State to 17 points and Utah to 15 points.

However, these last three weeks they have been awful and especially this past weekend when BYU absolutely destroyed them 55-7. The Cougars gained 454 yards and made the top-rated MWC defense look like a high-school squad.

TEAM I AM STARTING TO LOVE: How can you not like those Hawaii Warriors? Besides the fact that they are a CASH MACHINE with a 7-1-1 ATS record, June Jones squad is just fun to watch. This offense has scored OVER 60 points in four of their last five games.

QB Colt Brennan gets all the pub and rightly so considering his fast release and accuracy. However, my favorite player has to be RB Nate Ilaoa (pronounced “ee-LAU-ah”). The 5-9, 250 lb senior is just a beast out of the backfield and for a guy his size he has some nice speed.

FADE ALERT: Up until the past couple of weeks the Baylor Bears (4-7, 3-4 Big 12) had been a pretty tough out. However, in the 4th quarter of what turned out to be a 31-21 home loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 28, QB Shawn Bell, the nation’s No. 4 passer, tore the ACL in his right knee and was lost for the season.

The last two weeks have shown just how important Bell was to Baylor as the Bears have been destroyed by Texas Tech (21-55) and Oklahoma State (24-66). Baylor freshman Blake Szymanski has tried his best to fill in for Bell but this team is clearly not the same. Expect much more ugliness this weekend as the season will come to a close against Oklahoma.

BACKDOOR OF THE WEEK: Two teams share the prize this week. The first is Cincinnati who kicked off as 19 point underdogs at West Virginia. The Bearcats held their own early and actually were up 3-0. But several big plays from RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White - who else? - had the Mountaineers up 42-10 to start the 4th quarter.

However, Cincy didn’t quit and under the direction of backup QB Nick Davila scored two touchdowns in the last quarter - completing the two-point conversion on the second TD - to just squeak in under the gun, losing 42-24.

The other half of this week’s award goes to Oklahoma. The Sooners (-9.5) trailed for most of their game against Texas Tech - at one point down 24-10 in the 2nd quarter. However, Oklahoma rallied for 17 unanswered in the second half, including 14 in the 4th quarter. The key to the late cover was RB Chris Brown who scored both late touchdowns and has been a nice replacement for the injured Adrian Peterson.